Young Rebels
by Wing-Kid-x0
Summary: What happens when Windsor High Schools rebel Max meets the new guy Nick? Something unexpected happens to Max and she ends up living somewhere she never thought she would. Rated T for languge. NAX Fangs called Nick in the story so it's basically FAX! x
1. Chapter 1

**Max's P.O.V**

"Here are your grades for your assignments." said Miss Treadwell.

My Science teacher handed me my assignment and I rolled my eyes. Jeez, an F. Give me a break!

"Maxine, this is appalling! Your mother will be informed of your poor grade." She said.

"Yeah whatever Alice." I said.

Only I had the nerve to call the teachers by their first names. I'm known as the school rebel. Going out on Saturday nights and not getting home until 4am, getting drunk at wild parties, getting 2 hour detentions after school at least three times a week. I never turn up to them though. I don't give a shit.

The bell rang and I packed up my shit and left. I spotted my best friends Monique and Iggy. Running over to them, we headed off to the canteen.

"I got an F in science. Miss Treadwell is calling home. As if my mom gives a shit. She's just out getting pissed all the time." I told them

"Haha. Hey have you heard that there's a new guy here? Apparently he's like really cute and can sing really well and is really smart and did I mention really cute? His name is Nick I think." Said Monique.

"Oh My Gosh, really? Let's go check him out!" Said Iggy in a girl's voice, whilst rolling his eyes. I laughed and we strolled into the canteen. It was crowded as usual but we found seats and grabbed them before they were taken.

Five minutes later, a boy I had never seen before walked into the hall. Girls started calling his name, asking him to go and sit with them. So this was Nick. The poor guy.

Angel, the slag of all slags ran up him and started dragging him to her table. I saw him try to pull back and I felt a _tiny_ pang of sympathy inside.

They reached the 'popular' table and he was surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders. He looked extremely uncomfortable so I decided to go help him. _No one_ should have to endure that kind of torture.

"Hey guys I'll be right back." I told Monique and Iggy.

"Oh no what's she doing now?" I heard Iggy mutter.

I strolled up to Angel's table and addressed Nick.

"Hey Nick. Miss Treadwell said she wants to see you. She said it's urgent and to go straight away. I'll take you to her." I said.

He relaxed and nodded his head.

"Okay." He replied.

Angel looked furious. I couldn't help but giggle.

"_I'll_ take him to Miss Treadwell." She said through gritted teeth.

"I think I'm capable of escorting a new student to a teacher thank you very much."

Nick got up and we started to walk out of the canteen. I turned around and gave Angel a smile. Then I stuck my finger up at her and left.

Angel scowled and sunk back down into her seat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Monique and Iggy sniggering. Monique looked at me and winked. Rolling my eyes, I walked out of the room into one of the corridors.

"Miss Treadwell doesn't _really_ want to see me does she?" asked Nick.

"Nah. I saw you looked uncomfortable with Angel so I decided to help you out." 5 replied smiling at him.

"Thanks. What's your name?" said Nick.

"Max. And no problem." I said.

Just then, the head teacher came strolling around the corner.

"Quick! Hide!" I hissed at Nick. I pulled him into a supply closet praying that Mr Johnston hadn't seen us.

"Why are we standing in a supply closet?" asked Nick suspiciously.

"Well, let's just say I'm not the most popular student with the teachers. I give them a bit of a hard time." I said.

He grinned and the room seemed to light up. Then, I noticed that Nick actually was kinda cute.

Then, a bucket fell down from a high shelf and almost hit me on the head. Then a big pile of mops and brooms started falling. I screamed and dodged out of the way and right into Nick.

I looked up into Nicks face and grinned.

"Well that's gonna get me another detention." I said.

He smiled back and then the door burst open.

"Maxine Ride. I should have known it would be you. But look here, we have Nicholas. Next time, you should have chosen a better place to suck each others lips off instead of a supply cupboard. Come with me you two." Mr Johnston snarled.

"Oh boy." I said under my breath.

_**An hour later.**_

"Nick I'm sorry about that. You got into trouble and it was my fault." I said.

We had just had an extremely long pep talk from Johnston. Turns out we had broken a bucket, two brooms, a vacuum and a mop, now we both had detention and our parents were being informed.

"Don't worry Max. We didn't even do anything wrong anyway so I'm not really that bothered." Nick replied.

I smiled at him and then the bell went to signal the end of the day.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Cya." I said to him waving good-bye.

"Bye Max. See you tomorrow." He said and grinned.

_Well he's nice. Maybe I should ask him to come to Saturday's party…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the wait guys! But here's chapter 2.**

**Enjoy!**

**Fangs P.O.V**

I got back home at around half 3. Walking into the kitchen, I saw my mom washing up.

She looked up and smiled.

"Hey honey, how was your first day of school?" she asked.

"Fine." I replied.

"Do you have any homework?" she said.

"No. I'm going upstairs." I said.

"Okay, I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. It was all black. Black walls, black carpet, black desk, black bedcovers, black everything.

I lay down on my bed and thought about my first day at school.

That girl Angel. She seemed _so_ fake.

Ari, the jock. I really didn't like him. He said inappropriate things about all of the girls, especially Max.

Zephyr. He seems genuine. He's my first real friend at my new school. But he's Angel's brother. She might use him to get to me.

My other friend Mike. He's Zephyrs best friend. He's an alright kinda guy too.

And then there's Max. Max is just… wow. She's smart and funny; you should have heard some of the things she said to Mr Johnston. She's honest. She's helpful. And if you don't mind if I say so, she's also _beautiful._

I got up from my bed and walked out of my room. I needed to get out of this place. I swung open the front door and stepped outside.

**Max's P.O.V**

"MAX! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW!" My mom shrieked.

Yes. My mom. She sounds wonderful doesn't she?

Well it sounds as though she's drunk (again). She insults me and hits me when she's drunk. But I don't retaliate. I know she doesn't mean to hurt me. But ever since my dad left and my auntie died, she's become an alcoholic. And I'm the only one who can look after her.

I walked into the kitchen where I found my mom was sitting in a chair, with her head resting on the table. Of course, she had a glass of whisky in her hands.

"Get me a glass of water, you piece of shit! I don't even know why I still have you. I should have kicked you out on the streets months ago. You're the reason I'm like this anyway. You're the fucking reason your dad left." She slurred.

I winced and I felt my stomach drop. I hate it when she's like this. She seems to think that I'm the reason my dad left. Well… I'm not.

_**Flashback – 5 years ago.**_

_SMACK!_

"_OW!" I shrieked._

_My dad had just hit me again for breaking his mother's vase. It was ugly anyway._

_He grabbed my wrists and twisted them around, bringing tears to my eyes. My mother ran into the room and her eyes widened at the sight._

"_Stop it! Stop it! You're hurting her!" My mom screamed._

_She ran over and tried to pull my dad off me, but he turned around and punched her right in the face._

_Her nose started to bleed and she backed off._

_My dad grabbed hold of my hair and yanked it upwards._

_I shrieked and started kicking and squirming, trying to break free._

_That's when my dad let go of my hair and fell to the floor._

_I looked up to see my mother holding a baseball bat in her hands, her eyes wide with shock._

"_Sweetie, go upstairs. Don't come back down until I tell you to. If your dad wakes up and comes to your room, run. Don't let him near you."_

_I nodded my head and bolted up the stairs._

_Around half an hour later, I heard my mom and dad screaming at each other again._

_Then I heard the door slam and footsteps coming towards my door._

_I shrunk back into the shadows, scared that it was my dad. But the door opened and my mothers tear streaked face appeared._

_I ran out from my hiding place and gave my mom a big hug. We stood there hugging for what seemed ages, just crying into each other._

"_Daddy isn't going to be around anymore sweetie. He's gone, and he's staying gone." She whispered to me._

_**End flashback.**_

It wasn't my fault. I may have broken the vase, but it was my dad who had caused all of the pain. He's the reason that this family was torn apart.

My mom sounded so protective when she told me my dad had gone. She sounded as though she was actually going to care for me. But through the years it's just been getting worse.

After a month or so after my dad left, she seemed to think that she needed him. Which we don't. She started to have sex with random men to see if any would replace my dad.

I poured my mom a glass of water and gave her some headache tablets.

Then I walked out the front door and made my way to the beach.

Nobody was on it as far as I could see. I strolled down to the waters edge and took of my shoes.

I had been sitting down near the water for around 10 minutes when someone sat down next to me.

I looked over and saw Nick.

"Hey" he said.

"Hi"

"Are you okay Max? You look upset." He asked

"Yeah… I'm fine." I replied.

He nodded his head and looked towards the setting sun.

We sat there for quite a while in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable… It was nice to just sit here in peace. I felt as though I could trust Nick, even though I had only known him for a day.

"Every Saturday there's a party held on this beach. I always go to it. Do you wanna come?" I asked him.

"Yeah sure. Anything to get away from my parents." He replied.

I smiled, now knowing that I'm not the only one who didn't like their parents.

"It's dark, I should be getting home now." I said.

"Yeah same." Nick said.

"Well see you at school tomorrow then." I said with a smile.

I stood up and started to walk back up the beach.

"Bye Max." I said, waving.

15 minutes later, I arrived at my house. I stepped through the door and walked into the kitchen…

To find my mom lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

**Shock Horror!**

**Hope you liked it…**

**If you review, you will be loved.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry it took so long for me to update, I was grounded for throwing a house party. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Max or any other characters that are in JP's books. Duh. But I own Max's mom (SARAH)**

--OMG--

**3****rd**** Person P.O.V – When Max left the house.**

Sarah **(Max's mom)** was still sprawled across the table. She heard the front door slam shut and lifted her head.

Hiccupping, she slowly lifted herself from her seat, but forgot that she had a glass in her hand. The glass slipped through Sarah's fingertips and landed on the floor with a _smash._

"Shit." hissed Sarah.

She bent down and sat on the cold floor and started to clumsily pick up the pieces of glass.

She felt a small pain from her finger and she looked down to see blood spurting out. The glass must have cut her.

Sarah continued to pick up the pieces of glass, but as she was looking down, she didn't see the man enter the room. The man silently made his way over to Sarah and picked up a particularly large piece of glass.

Of course, Sarah saw the large hand pick up the glass and she slowly lifted her head up to look at the man who had entered her house unknown.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she recognised the face that looked down at her.

She tried to shuffle backwards, only to find herself backed against the wall.

"Hello Sarah. Long time, no see." Spoke a deep voice.

Sarah was now quivering in fear. The strange man grabbed her by the hair roughly and dragged her into the middle of the room.

He straddled Sarah and yanked up her left arm. Slowly, he dragged the sharp piece of glass in his hand across her wrist making her cry out. He repeated this 3 times and grabbed her right arm and cut into her flesh.

Once he had finished cutting into her arms he pulled her head onto its side and pierced her skin on both sides of her neck, making long lines.

Sarah had already lost an extremely dangerous amount of blood and was unconscious.

The man heard the front door open and he quickly got up and placed the piece of glass in Sarah's hand.

Then he ran out of the back door and disappeared into the shadows.

--OMG--

**Wow. Well that was dark…**

**It kinda scared me writing this. But its part of the story. A **_**crucial**_** part of the story.**

**The next chapter is up as well, and that is what happens when Max gets back to the house.**

**Review Pleeeaaaassseee!!**

**x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well here is what happens when Max finds her mom on the floor in a pool of blood…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the JP books, as much as I would like to.**

**Claimer: I DO own Sarah and the strange unknown guy from the last chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

--OMG--

**Max's P.O.V**

I stood there staring at my mom's lifeless body that was on the floor in front of me when my brain suddenly clicked into action.

I raced towards the phone and dialled 911. I explained to the emergency person that my mom was unconscious, lying in blood on the floor and that we needed an ambulance ASAP.

5 minutes later, an ambulance and 2 police cars arrived outside and stormed the house. My mom was loaded into the ambulance and I got in after the paramedics.

My mom was put on a drip. I held her hand the whole 5 minutes to the hospital until the doors slammed open and my mom was carted off into the hospital.

A nurse rushed up to me holding a clipboard and started asking me questions.

"Hi honey, what's your name?"

"M-Max." I replied.

"Is this woman your mother?" she asked.

"Yes, h-her name i-is Sarah. Sarah Ride." I said.

The nurse was writing notes on her clipboard when I noticed about 5 more doctors rushing past in the general direction of my mom.

"Is there anyone you want to call to be with you? Your dad?" she said

"Uh… No. My dad left. Is my mom going to be alright?" I asked nervously.

"I don't know. But I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine. The police are here and they would like to ask you a few questions as to what happened. Follow me." She said.

I followed her into the hospital and down several hallways until we reached a wooden door with no window.

She opened the door and I stepped inside to find a table with 2 officers sitting on the far side. There was another chair on the other side of the table, so I took a seat there.

"Right. Your name please?" The first officer said.

"Uh… Max. Max Ride." I replied.

"Is Max short for Maxine?" he asked.

"Umm… no, it's just Max."

"Ok… So…"

The officers asked me several questions about me and my mom. The conversation was taped on a tape recorder, so I was put under slightly more pressure. I just wanted to get to my mom and see if she was alright.

"Right. So can you explain exactly what happened today?" the first officer, Officer Smith according to his nametag, said.

"Well, I've been at school all day. And when I got home my mom was drunk. She's been getting drunk quite often since my dad left and my auntie passed away. She told me to get her a glass of water and then she started to say that I was the reason my dad left. I couldn't take it any more. I left the house. I left her on her own while she was a danger to herself." I felt my eyes start to well up but I carried on.

"I came back to the house around 45 minutes later. I walked into the kitchen and found her lying on the floor covered in blood. And then I rang the ambulance." I finished.

"Why did your dad leave?"

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

"Max, we need to know this stuff so we can get answers to why your mother is hurt. So please, why did your dad leave?" Officer Smith asked.

"Ok… So, when I was young, it was just me, mom and dad. We were pretty happy together. But then my dad started to drink. He got pretty violent. One day I accidentally knocked over my grandma's vase and it smashed. M-My dad started to hit me and my mom tried to stop him. She actually got a baseball bat and knocked him out. Then she sent me upstairs and came up half an hour later saying that my dad had left us for good. I don't know exactly how she made him leave, I just know that he did." I explained.

"Ok. Can anyone prove to us that you were out of the house?" Asked officer number 2, called Officer Whitebridge.

I sat there in shock for a few moments thinking about what Officer Whitebridge had just said.

"Y-You think that_ I_ did it don't you? You think that_ I_ would try to kill my own mother?" I asked.

I could feel myself beginning to break down. Anger rose inside me.

"Max, everyone is a suspect. We cannot trust anyone until your mother wakes up. _If _your mother wakes up." said Officer Smith.

"Are you saying that my mom won't wake up? Are you saying that my mom won't _survive_?" I asked.

"No, Max, I said IF. Back to the question; is there anyone that can prove you were out of the house?"

"Y-Yes. There is. Nick. Nick Thompson. I was at the beach with him." I replied.

Officer Smith turned to Officer Whitebridge and said "Get in touch with this Nick Thompson." He turned to face me. "I assume he goes to Windsor High? With you?" he asked.

"Yeah. He does."

"Well, Max we are done for now but we will need to speak with you a bit later. You need to go back to the waiting room while we give Mr Thompson a call." said Officer Smith.

I stood up and made my way to the waiting room. There were only a couple of seats left as the room was so packed. I sat there thinking about what had happened earlier that day. This morning I was just a girl who only worried about if her shirt didn't go with her shoes. But now her mother was on the brink of death and she was being questioned by police.

I felt my eyes start to get wet as I started to cry again. But I didn't try to hold it in. I just let the tears fall.

Everything just seemed to fast forward. People arrived and left at random. Nurses and doctors rushed backwards and forwards.

I looked at my watch and saw that it had been around an hour and a half since being interrogated by the police.

It felt like 5 minutes. I still hadn't heard any news about my mom.

But just as I thought that, a doctor with grey hair and a grave look on his face approached me.

My heart sunk at the look on his face. I knew what he was going to say, before he said it.

"Max Ride? "he asked.

"Uh, yeah…" I answered cautiously.

"I'm so sorry… We did all we could to help your mother. She had lost to much blood…"

I didn't hear the rest of what he said. I was staring into space and my world was beginning to turn black. The world was spinning, spinning… I was going down…

--OMG--

THAT WAS VERY DEPRESSING. But don't worry, It will pick up soon. This chapter really dragged on didn't it? Oh well…

Review please! I may have another chappie up tonight but otherwise


	5. Chapter 5

**Nick's P.O.V**

I was lying on my bed in the dark, when the door bell rang. I heard my mom answer it and a man started speaking.

"Nick! Get down here!" my mom called up the stairs.

Sighing, I got up off m bed and made my way downstairs to find my mom sitting with two police officers, one male, and one female.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Great. I'd been here for two days and we have the cops coming to the house!

"Nick Thompson?" the male officer asked.

I nodded and he continued. "We need you to come to the hospital. We need to ask you a few questions."

I was confused by this but agreed anyway. Why have I got to go to the hospital? They're _police_, aren't they?

"Mrs Thompson. You will need to come to." The female officer said to my mom.

"Wait, why do we need to go? Can somebody please explain!" mom cried.

"Please, ma'am, we'll explain at the hospital" the male officer replied.

She nodded quietly and we both made our way down the drive to the police car.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. My mom kept throwing me questioning glances but I just shrugged back. I knew just as much as her to why we were been taken to the hospital by the police.

After 10 minutes of silence, we arrived at the hospital, where we were led to a small room inside.

There was a small wooden table in the centre of the room with four seats around it.

"Please take a seat. We need to ask you a few questions. Where were you between 5:00-6:00pm?"

I was startled by this question but answered anyway.

"Well I was in my room for a while… And then I went out to the beach where I saw a girl from my school called Max. And I sat with her for a while. And then I went back home."

The two cops looked at each other and the male officer turned towards mom.

"Can you confirm this?" he asked.

"I know Nick was in his room. And then he went out for a while and then came back. Can you please tell us what is happening!?" She said.

"Well… a woman was found dead earlier today. The girl who you saw on the beach? Max? It was her mother." He answered.

My mom gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

I felt my face go pale and I thought about Max. I wonder how she would take it.

"What does this have anything to do with us?" I asked the officers.

"We interrogated Maxine earlier, who said she had been on the beach with you. And we needed confirmation."

"The poor soul. Is she alright?" my mother asked frantically.

"When the doctor told her the news she passed out. But she's awake now and is waiting in a room down the hall. We need to find someone to call that can take care of her for a while." The woman replied.

"Can I see her?" I asked.

"She's in a bad way, son. But we can ask her if she would like to see you." The man said.

I nodded and the female officer left the room. I glanced at my mom and saw she had tears in her eyes. She was always like this. Really emotional and caring. She always did her best to take care of someone.

The officer came back in the room and gestured for me to follow her. I stood up and walked down to the hall and into a fairly small room.

It was similar to the one I had just left but had a bed and only two chairs around a small table.

Max was sitting in one chair, her arms crossed on the table and her head resting on them.

I could tell that she was crying by the way her shoulders were shaking.

The officer left the room and I walked over to where Max was. I put my hand reassuringly on her shoulder and she looked up. Her eyes were puffy and she kept sniffing.

"Uh… Hey max." I said.

She just sort of half nodded and put her head back down on her arms.

"I heard about what happened. Um… If you need to talk, I'm always here." I said.

Max just sniffed and carried on crying.

I didn't know what to say. I'd never really been in a situation like this before.

I shoved the other chair around the table next to Max and sat down. She needed someone there with her, and I was the only one here that she knew.

After twenty minutes of silence she sat up and looked at me.

"I'm s-sorry." She said.

"Uh… for what?" I replied.

"For b-bringing you i-into this."

"Hey, it doesn't matter. You had to. But I'm here for you Max." I said reassuringly.

She gave me a half smile and pulled me into a hug catching me off guard.

"Thanks. I've only known you for one day and I already like you. **(A/N: Not in the **_**like**_** like way.)**"

"I like you to Max." I said smiling.

She pulled back and looked down at her feet.

"Do you have a place to stay?" I asked.

"Uh… well no. I don't have any other relatives. And Monique's parents don't like me, and Iggy doesn't have any room in his house." She replied.

I thought for a moment.

"You can stay at my place for a while if you'd like?" I asked.

She looked shocked for a moment.

"No, no! You only just moved here, I wouldn't want to be any trouble!" she said.

"Max, its fine! My mom wouldn't mind at all. And I need some company anyway." I said smiling kindly at her.

"I can't, I've already caused enough trouble as it is! I'm sure your mom wouldn't really want the girl who got you detention on your first day of school in her house."

"Well, we'll see about that." I replied.

--OMG--

Woot Woot! How do you like the idea of Max and Nick living in the same house? Don't worry, the last 2 chapters were the only depressing ones!

Review!


	6. Chapter 6

"_You can stay at my place for a while if you'd like?" I asked._

_She looked shocked for a moment._

"_No, no! You only just moved here, I wouldn't want to be any trouble!" she said._

"_Max, its fine! My mom wouldn't mind at all. And I need some company anyway." I said smiling kindly at her._

"_I can't, I've already caused enough trouble as it is! I'm sure your mom wouldn't really want the girl who got you detention on your first day of school in her house."_

"_Well, we'll see about that." I replied._

**Max's P.O.V.**

"Well, we'll see about that." He said.

Nick grabbed my hand gently and pulled me out of my seat. He gave me a reassuring smile and then led me to the door and down the hall.

We stopped in front of the door that led to the room that I had been questioned in earlier and Nick turned to me.

"Max, if my mom was to let you stay at my place for a while, would you want to?" Nick asked.

Hmm. Would I want to stay at Nick's house? I barely know him. But I haven't got anywhere else to go. And he seems really nice. It'd be great to have someone from school with me after all I've been through.

I slowly nodded and he smiled at me. Then he turned back to the door and opened it.

Inside, I saw there were three people. Officer Whitebridge and Officer Smith. The third person I didn't recognize. It was a woman, who looked around 35 years old. She had long brown hair and kind warm eyes.

When she saw me, with my eyes bright red and puffy, my hair gone wild, she let out a small 'oh' and put a hand to her mouth.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a minute please?" Nick asked from beside me.

So this was Nick's mother. Mrs Thompson. Now they were standing together, I could definitely see the resemblance.

She nodded and Officer Whitebridge said "We'll wait outside."

When the officers had left, I turned to the door to leave myself but Nick stopped me.

"Wait, you should stay too." He said.

"What is it Nick?" his mother asked.

"Well, Max hasn't got a place to stay. She doesn't have any other relatives and she won't be able to stay at any of her other friend's houses… So I thought that maybe…" Nick's voice drifted off at the end.

"We could let her stay at our house?" his mother questioned and he gave a nod.

She stood for a moment, thoughts obviously reeling through her mind.

"If you don't want me to, its fine I can just-"I started but was cut off by Mrs Thompson.

"No! It's fine; it would be a pleasure for you to stay. It's just that I'm worried as to whether the police would allow you to live with us…"

"Well let's ask them then." Said Nick.

**--OMG****--**

**WOO! Sorry, my writing hasn't exactly been up to standard these last couple of chapters, I've just been so stressed about school because of big exams coming up. But I hope you like it anyway!**

**Review people, and I will love you forever ;**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to all my reviewers! You are loved **_**oh-so-much!**_

**And thank you for understanding about my exams :D**

**Just keep it in mind that I don't actually know anything about adoption or murders, I'm just kinda guessing. So I'm just going to make it a week later because I don't want it to be a huge time gap…**

**--OMG--**

_**1 week later.**_

I stepped out of the black Mercedes and turned to face the house that was in front of me. It was quite big as there were only two people living in it. I'd already guessed that Nick didn't have a father, like me.

But now, there wasn't only two people living in this house. There were three.

See, the police contacted social services or whoever and they agreed to let me live at Nicks house. It's a bit weird living in the same house as a guy from your school who you've only known for a week.

Nick walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, I'll show you inside." He said kindly.

He walked up to the door of the house and opened it. I stepped in after him and he led me down the hall to a large room. The living room. The walls were a light shade of cream which made the room feel even bigger.

"Just leave your bag in here; I'll go get your others." Nick said.

**1 hour later.**

After Nick had courteously brought in my bags, Mrs Thompson showed me up to the room which I would be sleeping in.

It was fairly spacious, with a single bed, a desk and the other basic stuff you need in a bedroom.

Now, I was lying on my comfortable bed thinking about how I could possibly thank Nick and his mother for letting me live in their house.

There was a tap on my new bedroom door and Nick walked in.

"Hey." I said as I sat up.

"Um… Hey. Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah… I guess I'm alright considering what's happened." I replied.

Nick nodded and stayed silent.

"Um, Nick? I just wanna say uh… thanks for, you know, letting me stay here. I don't wanna be a pain in the ass or anything…" I said

"It's fine! After what you've gone through, you need to be able to rely on other people, so just relax."

"Thanks." I said.

"My moms almost finished dinner, so just come down when you're ready." Nick said.

I stood up at the word dinner. I was freakin' _starved. _For some weirdly insane reason, I eat _alot._

As I brushed past Nick in the doorway, I gave him a small smile and carried on downstairs to the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Max. Dinners almost ready so you can just take a seat." Said Mrs Thompson politely, nodding her head towards the table.

Nick entered the room and took a seat next to me, where we sat in silence until Mrs Thompson set down our plates of spaghetti bolognaise.

"Thanks Mom." Said Nick.

"Yeah, thanks Mrs Thompson." I said.

"Oh, call me Jenna." She replied.

Throughout the meal, all three of us chatted happily. I had almost finished when Jenna brought up school.

_School!_

"Max, the social workers phoned earlier. They said that you need to return to school tomorrow, as you've had a week off. I think it's a bit early for you to return but they said that you need to." She said.

My heart swelled. I would get to see Monique and Iggy again! And I would get the joy of pissing off all of my teachers! Yahoo!

"It's fine. School will help take things off my mind." I replied trying to keep in my happiness.

I am so weird. I actually want to go to school!

Jenna gave me a small smile and carried on eating.

Once we had all finished, I helped Nick do the dishes and then headed to my room.

When I got to my door, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I whipped around and saw Nick standing behind me.

"How did you do that?" I asked slightly astonished. I have weirdly enhanced hearing.

"What? Breathe?" he asked jokingly.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. I opened my door and went inside my room, flopping down on the bed and sighing.

Nick leaned against the doorway with his arms folded and a frown on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"You just seem kinda familiar. It's weird. It feels like I've met you before." He replied.

"You have met me before." I said.

"Not at school… but it's like I've known you my whole life." He said quietly, a slight blush creeping up his face.

I stayed quiet and thought for a moment. I knew what he meant. I felt the same, as though I could trust him with anything.

"Um… I'm gonna go take a shower. Bye." He said and rushed out the room.

_What the hell?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Max's P.O.V**

YEAH! It's Monday and I'm on the bus travelling to school with Nick. I've already planned what I'm going to do to piss off my teachers on my first day back. And they can't even give me detention for it because of-… because of the fact that she's… gone.

I've tried not to think about her since the hospital. But you can't forget the woman that raised you. The woman who fed you, who clothed you and most of all, loved you.

But I just try to occupy myself by thinking about my plans for the teachers. I've had Monique and Iggy around my new house and we've been scheming together. Nick helped a bit as well.

Monique is a genius at computers and can hack into other peoples computers and look at their files from one computer! I didn't think that was possible!

Iggy's an expert at explosives. Of course he doesn't use the bombs he makes for anything bad. He mainly makes MAJOR stink bombs. He once set a giant one off in assembly and I couldn't get the smell out of my shirt for a week.

So anyway, Nick and I were on the bus talking and laughing together. Ten minutes later, we arrived at school and I could feel butterflies in my stomach from excitement.

I stepped down from the bus and looked up at my school. Lots of people were walking by, looking at me and whispering to each other behind their hands. Bitches.

"Come on." Nick said, obviously noticing people looking at me.

We walked through the doors and I took in the smell of my school. Ahh.

The smell of Windsor High.

**Nicks P.O.V – Assembly.**

Everyone was sitting on their chairs absent-mindedly listening to the Mr Johnston moan about how many scissors are going missing in the art classrooms.

Max, Monique and Iggy weren't in the hall. But I wasn't bothered about this. I knew where they were.

There was a projector next to Mr Johnston and it was projecting the screen of his laptop onto a huge board.

All of a sudden, the screen changed and a slideshow of pictures appeared onto the board.

The pictures were of all of the teachers Max hates. There were pictures of them with HUGE hair and others with them pulling stupid faces.

The hall as filled with the laughter of students watching the slideshow.

Then huge words appeared on the screen and coloured smoke covered the floor around the room.

I read the words on the screen that appeared on the screen and smiled. Everything had gone to plan.

The screen said:

"**Welcome back Max Ride!"**

As the words appeared, Max burst through the door, followed by Monique and Iggy, to a giant applause.

I was clapping along with the rest of the students, when Iggy shouted,

"All kids, out of the hall!"

Everyone started to rush to the door whilst the teachers were trying to get everything under control. They weren't succeeding.

All of the kids managed to get out of the room as they knew what was about to happen. But the teachers were clueless.

Iggy took something out of his pocket and threw it through the doors into the hall where the teachers were.

There was a loud bang and a revolting smell filled the hall where the teachers still were.

Iggy and I slammed the doors shut, and raced down the hall after Monique and Max.

**Max's P.O.V.**

Monique and I turned a raced round a corner and stopped at a door. I yanked it open and rushed inside followed by Monique. Nick and Iggy appeared and they squeezed in as well.

I recognised the tiny room as a supply closet. In fact, the supply closet that me and nick were in when I was hiding from the head hunter.

In case you've forgot how cramped it was in this supply closet, it was _extremely _cramped. And it only had two people in then. And now there're four.

So we were all squashed together, invading each others personal space. It was _so_ uncomfortable.

"Well this is fun…" said Iggy sarcastically.

"Ig, really not helping." said Monique.

"Maybe if your hair wasn't so fat then-" Iggy replied, but was cut off by Monique,

"Fat!? FAT!? ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?" she shrieked.

"N-No… Monique, I was just saying that your hair is huge… But you know what they say? The more the merrier." Iggy stuttered.

"My hair isn't merry. Its _hair_." said Monique coldly.

"Calm down you two. We need to keep quiet or the head hunter's gonna find us-" I said but was cut off by the door opening.

"Gotcha." A deep robotic voice said.

"Oh no." I breathed.

"Oh yes." The head hunter said evilly.

--OMG--

Review please! I feel loved when you review… And when I feel loved, I write. So quick!


	9. Chapter 9

**Max's P.O.V**

"You're not my mom! I can do what I like! Don't tell me what I can and can't do. Just leave me alone!" I screamed.

"Max, I just want the best for you! I let you into my house, I buy you food and clothes! And you throw it back in my face. I expecte-" Jenna started but I cut her off.

"You shouldn't expect anything from me! Of course I'm grateful for that stuff, but if you'd stop yelling at me I might appreciate you a little more!" I finished and stormed upstairs.

I yanked open my bedroom door and flopped down on my bed. I could feel a lump in my throat and tears forming in my eyes as I replayed the last 10 minutes in my head.

I was suspended from school for another week and Jenna wouldn't have any of it. We had got into an argument over it and I cracked.

I rolled over and stuffed my tear streaked face into the fluffy pillow. After a few minutes of calming down, I got up and walked to my door. I took a deep breath and stepped out of my room.

I reached the kitchen to find Jenna sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and her head in her hands.

"Um, Jenna? I'm sorry. I was out of order. I know you're just trying to help and I shouldn't be so selfish." I said nervously.

Jenna looked up and a sad smile appeared on her face. I could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were slightly puffy and her hair was a little untidy.

"Thank you Max. I appreciate it. I just care about you Max. I want what's best for you, and hijacking an assembly and setting off a giant stink bomb in the main hall of your school isn't the best way to get in your principles good books." She replied, chuckling at the last sentence.

A smile spread across my tear stained face. Jenna stood up and held her arms out. I rushed forward and hugged her as hard as I could. I could feel a lump rising in my throat again as I remembered my mom hugging me like this.

"I miss her Jenna." I whispered.

"I know, I know. I understand it's hard to get over and it'll take time. But I'm always here for you, and you know that." She whispered back.

I heard a cough behind us and we released each other. I turned around to find Nick leaning on the doorframe with a small smile on his face.

"I'm gonna go upstairs." I said quickly. I could feel my face burning up.

I heard Jenna giggle as I scurried out of the kitchen and to my room.

I sat down on my bed and the door opened. Nicks head popped through the gap and I motioned for him to come in.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just got a bit upset about um… her." I replied.

Nick came over to where I was sat and pulled me up by my arms.

"It's okay you know. You can talk to me or my mom any time." He said kindly.

"Thanks." I replied.

Just Nick being nice to me made tears come to my eyes again. Once I start crying, it's hard for me to stop.

"Hey, let it out. It's fine." He whispered gently.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. His arms held me tightly and one of his hands rubbed my back soothingly. I let the tears fall freely down my rosy cheeks.

I heard another cough behind us, but ignored it this time.

"Déjà vu, huh?" I whispered.

Nick chuckled and I felt him signal his mom to leave.

After another 10 minutes of hugging, I finally felt as though I had calmed down. I let go and glanced at the clock. It read 11:34.

"We should be getting to bed." I sighed.

"Yeah. Some sleep should do you good. You'll feel better in the morning. 'Night." He replied.

I nodded and he turned around to head for the door.

Just as he stepped out, I grabbed his arm and spun him round.

"Thanks." I whispered and kissed him on the lips. Short and sweet.

And with that I closed the door and got into bed. I was surely going to have the best night's sleep I've had in a while.

* * *

Well there you have it! I'm so proud; I've updated 3 stories in one night. I really like this chapter. I guess the excitement of finally getting Maximum Ride: The Final Warning tomorrow has given me inspiration 

Hope you liked this chapter and I'd **LOVE** it if you'd review! x


	10. Chapter 10

Woo

**Woo! I'm back! It didn't take to long to update this time, so it's all good!**

**Enjoy. x**

* * *

**Max's P.O.V**

My week suspended from school passed quite quickly. I didn't really see Nick, as he still had school. I was always in bed when he left and he always had tons of homework to do. Things were a bit awkward after I kissed him earlier this week, but things are back to normal now.

I had grown strong feelings towards him and I'm not afraid to deny it. I can see why all the girls at school like him.

I heard the front door close downstairs and knew Nick was back from school. Finally it was Friday night and Jenna was going on a business trip and leaving Nick and I in the house for the weekend.

If I was still at my old house, I'd have a huge house party. But I respect Jenna and he-_our_ house.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen to make some toast and passed Nick on the way down.

"Hey. School alright?" I asked.

"Hi. No, nothin' special to be honest." He replied.

I nodded in response and carried on to the kitchen. As I put my toast in the toaster, the phone started to ring.

I walked over to it and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Max. It's Ig. Do you wanna come to the Mall with me and Monique?" he asked.

"Yeah sure! I've been missing you guys! Can I bring Nick? I don't really wanna leave him." I said.

"Sure! And we've been missing you too. We'll get to yours for half 4. See you then." said Iggy.

"See you." I replied and hung up.

Once my toast was done (yum), I walked upstairs and knocked on Nicks door.

I bit into my toast and the door opened. I choked on my piece of toast and my eyes started to water.

Nick was standing there in a pair of jeans with no top on. _Hel-lo._

"Yeah?" he asked smirking.

I glared at him and struggled to swallow my toast. "Do you want to come to the mall? Monique and Iggy are coming here at 4:30 to meet us."

"Yeah sure. I'll just put a top on so you won't be drooling over me all night." He replied chuckling.

"Hey! Let's see what you'd do if I had no top on!" I said defensively.

He chuckled again and closed the door. _Cheeky bugger…_

I headed towards my room but tripped up and hit my head on the wall. Hard. I cried out in pain and reached up to hold my head. My eyes started to water and I bit down on my lip to try and stop me from sobbing.

Nicks door opened again. "What the- Max!" he said startled.

He rushed over and looked down at me with worrying eyes.

"What happened? Are you alright?" he asked.

"I tripped up and hit my head. And does it look as though I'm alright?" I snapped.

"Sorry. Stupid question. Can you stand?" he replied.

"I think so."

I tried to sit up but my head throbbed in pain and I lay back down again, groaning. Nick frowned and reached down. He picked me up with ease and walked me into my room, where he lay me down on my bed. I noticed he still wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I'll go get you an ice pack." He said and rushed out of the room.

I sighed, my head still throbbing. Dang, that had hurt. The picture of Nick shirtless suddenly floated into my mind, which seemed to make me feel slightly better.

Damn, he had a nice body! I nearly died of embarrassment when I choked at the sight of him half naked. Maybe I _should_ take of my top around him and see what he does. Just kidding!

Nick walked back in with an ice pack and he set it own gently on the side of my head. Much to my dismay, he had put a shirt on while he had left.

We sat in silence for a while as I was in to much pain to really strike up a conversation. Nick was still holding the ice pack on my head where a lump was forming.

A few minutes later, the pain was slowly ebbing away and I felt normal enough to sit up.

"Nick? Can you help me sit up please?" I asked, slightly embarrassed at my weakness.

He nodded in response and pulled me up gently into a sitting position.

"Thanks." I muttered, noticing how close we were now I was sat up.

"You really annoyed me the other night." He murmured.

I frowned and replied with a simple "Why?"

"Because you got to make the first move." He said.

Then, he leaned in and touched his lips to mine. His lips were gentle against mine, but were longing, as though he had wanted to do this for a while. The kiss deepened and his tongue slipped into my mouth. Just as I had slid my hands around his neck, the doorbell rang.

_Shit_, I thought. That'll be Monique and Iggy.

We broke the kiss and looked at each other for a moment. I couldn't help but smile. He returned it and stood up from the bed. I heard the door open downstairs and the loud voices of Monique and Iggy fill the house.

They burst through the door and Monique rushed over to my side.

"Oh my… Max are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm okay. Just a bit dizzy." I replied with a smile.

"Well, we'll stay here instead of going to the mall. We can watch a movie or something. Sound cool?" Iggy asked.

"Sure." We all replied.

And that's when we all heard a crash downstairs.

* * *

**Ooh, a bit of a cliffie for you.**

**Hope you liked it! ****Reviews please****! =D**


	11. Chapter 11

Max's P

**I'm back! It didn't take me too long to update this time and there's a lot more to read. So please review! I've almost reached 100!**

**-Jen.**

**Max's P.O.V**

_And that's when we all heard a crash downstairs._

I shot up from the comfort of my bed and the four of us bolted downstairs to identify the source of the crash.

We sneaked through the living room once we had found nothing, and made our way into the kitchen. The window was smashed and there was glass spewed across the gleaming floor.

I scanned the room until my eyes met a crumpled piece of paper on the kitchen table. I walked carefully over to it, trying to avoid the sharp pieces of glass under me.

I reached the table and slowly picked up the note and what I read made my eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

In an untidy scrawl were the words _I'm back, little Max. Watch out_. I gulped and handed Nick the piece of paper with a shaking hand. I watched as his eyes scanned over the message quickly and he averted his gaze to me.

I walked over to the smashed window and saw specks of blood under it. Someone must have smashed it and jumped out, catching themselves on the shards of glass still placed in the frame.

"We should get out of here. Someone must be after you Max. And they know where you live." said Monique nervously.

I nodded silently and reached for my keys. I walked towards the door, Nick, Monique and Iggy in tow.

Once we were out of the house, I pulled out my cell phone and searched for Jenna.

My fingers finally reached her name and I pressed the call button.

"Hello?" her crackled voice rang through my ears.

"Hey Jenna. It's Max. We think someone's broken into the house. The windows smashed and whoever was here left a little message." I said.

"Oh no. Don't worry guys, I'm on my way right now. I'll be 15 minutes just hang on." She replied in a rush.

She hung up and I turned to the others. "Jenna said to wait here for her. I don't think it's a very good idea but we have to get to her some way." I said.

They nodded and I sat on the curb of the pavement, my head in my hands. Who was the note from? Was it the same person that killed… her? Why do they want me?

Different questions whizzed though my mind and each one increased my confusion. I felt someone sit down next to me and rest their hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, guys? Iggy and I are going to carry on to the mall. I don't think we'll be much help." Monique said quietly.

"Sure. I'll call you later." I replied.

When they had left, Nick turned to me and I could feel his eyes scanning over me. I fidgeted nervously and choked out a cough. I was still feeling a little embarrassed about what had happened earlier, just before Monique and Ig had arrived.

"So…" I started nervously.

"Yeah…" he replied.

I cursed under my breath and turned to face him full on. I felt the courage build up inside me and started to feel sick.

"Nick, about what happened earlier. I-" I started but was cut off by the screeching of tyres as Jenna's car raced down the road towards us. Nick and I exchanged looks of exasperation at Jenna's anxiety.

Jenna stopped abruptly and the car door flew open with a _whoosh. _She ran over to us and examined us, checking for any cuts or bruises we may have obtained in her absence. My hair was covering the lump on my head I had got from banging my head.

Once she was absolutely certain that Nick and I were not harmed, she let out a breath of relief and said, "Explain. Everything. What happened? Who was it? Are you sure you're okay? I-" she hastily began throwing questions at us but Nick cut her off.

"Mom. Relax. We're fine, just a little shook up. Max and I were upstairs and Max tripped up and banged her head so I was looking after. We were going to go to the mall with Monique and Iggy so they came round. We were talking upstairs for a couple of minutes when we heard a crash. We all ran downstairs and the kitchen window was smashed and there was note on the table." Once he said this, he pulled out the piece of crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to Jenna. Once she had read it and re-read it, her eyes were filled with apprehension and fear.

"There was some blood on the few shards of glass still in the window frame. I guess the guy that was in the house wasn't so lucky." I said.

Jenna pulled out her cell phone and walked out of our hearing range. A couple of minutes later she strode over to us and handed us a wad of cash.

I looked up at her in confusion and she smiled down at me. "Go to the Golden Hotel in town. Book two adjoining rooms, I'll be there in around 2 hours. I called the cops to tell them what happened. And I've called the hotel to tell them to let you book a room, 'cause you're underage. Go quickly, I won't be long." She said in reply to expression.

"Okay." Nick replied and we started walking into the town. I was worried someone was going to stop us, that someone being the deranged freak that left me a note telling me to 'watch it'. But Nick and I made it to the hotel with no trouble.

We marched up to the counter and the young man looked up with a smile on his face.

"Hi, my mom just called, she said to let us book a room." Nick said.

I noticed the guy was staring at me with a weird expression plastered on his ugly features. His eyes travelled from my face down to my chest and I self consciously crossed my arms to hide the view.

Nick frowned and I saw his eyes narrow at the guy.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You're room keys are all set. Here you go, sir. That's 98.00 please." He said, slightly distracted by me. Well, slightly was an understatement. I could practically see the drool hanging from his gormless mouth and cringed.

"Geez, I know I'm hot but there's no need to drool." I snarled.

His head snapped up in surprise. He obviously thought that I wouldn't comment on his perverted behaviour. What a dumbass.

Nick shoved the money roughly into the guy's hand and turned to walk to the elevators.

"Pig." I muttered as I followed Nick and I could feel him staring at me from behind.

Once I reached Nick, I whispered, "Follow my lead." And then put my arms around him. I felt him smirk and he wrapped his arms around my waist and he chuckled.

I giggled flirtatiously into the crook of his neck and lifted my leg up behind me, like you see lots of those girls do in the movies, when they kiss their dream guy.

I slid my hands up and down his arms and smiled at him mischievously. There was a ding to signal the elevator had arrived and we both stumbled in, holding our stomachs as we howled with laughter.

You probably wouldn't think it was that funny, but if you were there, you'd be bathing in your own tears from laughing so hard.

We reached out level and fell out of the cramped elevator. We made our way down the corridors in search of our room.

186, 187… Aha! 189! This was our room, so I slid the card though the lock and opened the door.

The room was a tolerable size, with two twin beds, a television and a small closet. There was a door which led to the bathroom and another with must have led to the room Jenna was going to stay in.

I sighed and flopped onto the bed nearest the bathroom, whilst kicking off my sneakers.

"Are we just staying in a hotel because of the note, or because of something else?" I wondered out loud.

"What are you saying?" Nick replied.

"Nothing, it just doesn't seem like the note was a big deal. I don't see why we have to come all the way into town to stay in a hotel." I said.

"Maybe it's because the note that was left told you to 'watch out' Max. And the fact that it had your name on it points out that this person wants you. It's a huge risk staying at home." He said.

Nick walked over to me and sat down on the bed next to me. He got the remote control for the television and switched it on. After a couple of minutes of sifting through the hundreds of channels, he came across the film channel. I scooted over to one side of my bed so he could lie down with me.

I realized that this was the horror channel. Ugh, how incredibly cliché.

After half an hour of watching the film, I already had a death grip on Nick's arm and my head buried in his chest out of fear. I'm pretty sure I had cut off Nick's circulation in his arm, so I loosened my grip as I had calmed down. Oh, the humiliation!

I'm pretty sure I had viewed Nick's armpit more than the freaking film. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep. It had been a long day and I needed some rest.

**Nick's P.O.V**

The film I had been watching ended, and I looked down to see Max fast asleep. Her head was resting on my chest and her slow breathing soothed me. As much as I would have loved to stay there, I got up carefully. I had to stay awake for when Mom gets here. And I'm pretty sure I would have fallen asleep if I had stayed on the bed.

Half an hour later, there was a soft tap on the door. I opened it as quietly as I could and found my mom standing in the doorway.

I opened the door wide to let her pass. She drifted in and I asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing really. The idiots seem to think that it's not a big problem having somebody break into your house and leave you a threatening note. Anyway, I need some rest. Best get to bed before I collapse with exhaustion. Good night, love." She replied.

I nodded in response and handed the room key to her. She gave me a hug to say goodnight and walked into her own room.

When the door had snapped shut, I walked back over to Max. Lifting her up, I pulled the sheets out from underneath her and lay her back down. I set the sheets down over her and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face.

I smiled to myself, for no apparent reason and made my way over to my own bed. I lay down, thinking about the past 24 hours. I knew it was going to be hard to get to sleep tonight, knowing Max was in danger.

Everything was calm in my life before I had met Max. I never got into trouble at school and there was never any threats made. But it all changed the day I met Max.

I looked over at her peaceful figure and sighed. Man, she was beautiful. When she had kissed me earlier, I thought I was going to collapse out of happiness. I've never really felt like this before, with anyone else.

Man, I'm in too deep.

**Wow. This took me ages to write. It's the longest chapter I've ever written. 5 pages long! And usually my chapters are only 3.**

**Seeing as you got more writing, I think I deserve more reviews, don't you?**

**So PLEASE review.**

**-Jen.**


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